Healing Wounds
by KingCow336
Summary: In which Zeph has a question for Alfyn. OneShot.


**Healing Wounds**

A dim lantern lit the darkened home, warm and cosy in its small but powerful flame. The muffled drops of the nearby waterfall played as a constant background the tiny cottage, otherwise completely silent in spite of its two inhabitants. The fever was subsiding from the youngest member of the household, with no small thanks to her brother. She had come down with it just under a week ago, and he had worked tirelessly day and night to keep her stable.

Well, not quite. Even the best of apothecaries needed rest sometimes. Thankfully, he had his partner in crime. Alfyn. The two had always been close, since the Great Pestilence. For the few hours of sleep he needed each evening, Alfyn had always been there to take his shift. Not that it mattered much anyway. There was no easy sleep to be had while his sister Nina was sick. But the willingness of his friend to do so was still inspiring to him.

Zeph often wondered about his close friend. How exactly it was he found the energy to be so relentlessly cheerful. Where the motivation came to keep going. Sure, Zeph had always had his own internal drive for helping his fellow villagers. But Alfyn was so unending in his attempts, so determined to keep going, that all Zeph could wonder was where he got the strength from.

He heard the nearby church bell of the angelus. 12 o'clock, midnight. His buddy would be on his way over at this moment. Seeing that his sister was calm in his sleep, he believed it safe to meet Alfyn on the nearby bridge between their cottages. There were things that needed discussing. Questions that needed answering. And besides that, he just wanted to spend some time out of the house.

Grabbing the thick leather satchel off of the small stool it was seated on, and putting on his nice green waistcoat to keep the cold out, Zeph headed out into the night, being sure to close the door as quiet as a mouse behind him. There was to be no disturbances for his sister that night.

 **XXXXX**

Alfyn was locking his door behind him to the sound of the bells, when he saw a figure on the nearby cobblestone bridge. With the bright moonlight shining from the East at this hour of night, a shadow in front of the being obscured their identity. But at this hour of night, there was only one individual it could be.

"Zeph!" Alfyn called, in a half yell that was loud enough to be heard, but not so loud as to wake the neighbours, "Good to see you buddy."

"Good to see you too" Zeph replied. As Alfyn approached Zeph on the bridge, he noticed that his hands were shaking. Immediately, it was undeniable that there was something on Zeph's mind.

"What's wrong?" asked Alfyn quietly, " did something happen to Nina?"

"Oh, no, nothing. In fact, her fever seems to be stabilised at this point, and is reducing. I'm hoping she'll be better by tomorrow morning at the latest."

"That's great!" Alfyn smiled. Zeph turned away, his hands still in a knot.

"There's something on your mind." Alfyn said to him, knowing the little ticks that he did whenever he was anxious, or nervous, or sad.

"Well… Nah, it's not important."

"So unimportant that you have worry marked across your like a mask? C'mon, tell me the truth. You know you can trust me."

Zeph sighed, then looked back at Alfyn. After he paused for a moment, he came back with an unexpected response.

"Do you remember that trip we made, about when we were fourteen?" he questioned.

"Of course! We went into the centre of the Caves of Rhiyo, picking waterblooms for the Spring festival. I'm glad we'd waited til we were older to do it, otherwise we couldn't have picked off any of the monsters that came our way."

 **XXXXXX**

It had been five years prior. The Caves of Rhiyo looked the same as they almost always did: dark, dingy and miserable. And yet, in the centre of the caves lay a ray of sunlight. And in that ray, lay…

"Flowers!" screamed the fourteen year old Alfyn, unbothered by the possibility of the cave in. His young age had made his motivation and eagerness into an uncontrollable hyperactive mess. He had been so excited for the trip he'd needed to be reminded by his friend to pack some Nox Root to cure for venoms.

That friend was carrying a basket behind him, not quite as fast as the labrador of a boy that bounded in front of him. As he reached the ray of light, with the beautiful waterblooms, he smiled briefly. He then collapsed in the grass.

"Zeph, are you okay?" asked Alfyn, concern growing.

"I'm fine,"he replied, "I was just a liiiiiittle tired from our hour-long trek". There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Alfyn brightened up with the realisation that his friend was okay. Nonetheless, he ran over anyway to help Zeph up. After extending his hand out and pulling him from the grassy floor of the cave, Alfyn stuck a large waterbloom in his hair.

"For you." Alfyn told him.

After a moment's confusion, the two set about in their work. In under ten minutes working together, they'd filled the basket, beating the precious record holder's eleven minutes twenty nine second. They then began their exit of the cave, with basket in tow, Zeph more tired than ever, and Alfyn bouncing out as usual.

 **XXXXXX**

"You always are so active. So ready to help others. So eager to lend a helping hand. And what I want to know is, how? How can you keep going, even in the best and worst of situations?"

Alfyn seemed a bit surprised by the question. He then chuckled, as he walked close to his friend. It was a light laugh, with a hint of surprise thrown into it.

"What's so funny?" asked Zeph, confused.

"Oh, nothing, it's just… I'm surprised you haven't figured out my source of motivation yet." With that, Alfyn leaned in close to Zeph.

"My source of motivation" Alfyn whispered, "is you."

Though no-one was around to see it, and the shadow obscured anything an observer could have been privy to, Alfyn leaned yet closer to Zeph, and put their lips together. Zeph, surprised but not objecting, reciprocated the kiss with the same level of passion. Then as soon as it had started, it was over. Zeph took some steps backwards.

"What did we just do?" he questioned, still in shock. "I didn't know you could do such a thing… a man with a man… does the Sacred Flame approve?" Zeph leaned over the side of the bridge, looking at the water below.

Alfyn walked over to beside him on the bridge, and looked over at the moonlight's reflection as well. He slipped his left hand into Zeph's free right hand, and then turned to look him in the eye.

"The Sacred Flame has always supported love, in all its forms. I see no reason why it would object to this new one. And besides" Alfyn explained, "I have no doubt that what I feel for you is love. You are the drive that gets me out of bed in the morning, that makes helping others that bit more worth it."

Zeph smiled, then giggled.

"You're such a sloppy kisser." he told Alfyn.

"Not as bad as you, bro." Alfyn replied. With that, they leaned together for another embrace.

"I'd best get to sleep," Zeph told Alfyn, "Nina still needs looking after."

"Oh shit, I forgot for a second there." Alfyn replied. They headed back to the small abode, now with a new member added to their party that brought the residence up to three.

There would be time for talking about it in the morning. And many more times after that for exploring it. But for now, there were patients to attend to. That was the second most important thing either of the guys had on their agenda.

After each other, of course.


End file.
